Health & Wellness
Top Dentists 2016
We went looking for the most highly regarded dentists in Baltimore, and found 129 of them.
It’s that time again, when we unveil the results of our annual Top Dentists survey, offering a handy resource to readers who want to find a talented dentist they actually like. To arrive at our results, we surveyed more than 2,000 dentists in Baltimore and the five surrounding counties over the course of several months to find out where they would send a member of their own family. Since most dentistry is local, we then divided the winners by location. While we were sorting through the hundreds of peer recommendations in eight dental specialties, we ran across the story of a Baltimore man whose life was changed by a nearly 100 percent dental overhaul that is opening new doors for him, both personally and professionally. If you’re in the market for a new dentist, you’ve come to the right place.
Our Adviser
Dr. Herbert M. Mendelson
Our adviser on the Top Dentists peer-polling process this year was Dr. Herbert M. Mendelson. Mendelson, who has been on the Top Dentists list himself in the past, is an assistant clinical professor of advanced studies in oral implantology at the New York University College of Dentistry, was appointed to the dean’s faculty of the University of Maryland School of Dentistry, and maintains a private practice with his father, Dr. Harold Mendelson, in Owings Mills. He received a bachelor’s degree in economics from George Washington University and a DDS from the Medical College of Virginia, he completed a residency at the University of Pennsylvania, he holds a certificate in surgical and prosthetic oral implantology from the New York University College of Dentistry, and he is active in numerous professional organizations. Mendelson—who lives in Reisterstown with his wife, Wendy, their four children, and a labradoodle—is also an accomplished magician (he’s performed at the Bellagio in Las Vegas), a scuba diver, and, by his telling, “a mediocre golfer.”
The List
BY REGION
-
Endodontist
Baltimore
Andrew Reff
Greenspring Endodontics
2650 Quarry Lake Dr., Ste. 140
410-653-0900
Timothy L. Skane
Harbor Endodontics, PA
36 S. Charles St., Ste. 1405
410-637-3636
South of Baltimore
Louis H. Berman
Annapolis Endodontics
200 Westgate Circle, Ste. 104
Annapolis
410-268-4770
Kenneth Mangano
Endodontic Associates
8221 Ritchie Hwy., Ste. 201
Pasadena
410-647-3453
West of Baltimore
Prasad Challagulla
9199 Reisterstown Rd., Ste. 102B
Owings Mills
410-356-6500
Richard Fein
8808 Centre Park Dr., Ste. 210
Columbia
410-772-9600
And other locations
Yelena Kholodenko
412 Malcolm Dr., Ste. 304
Westminster
410-848-7060
Sean O’Sullivan
9199 Reisterstown Rd.
Owings Mills
410-356-6500
Andrew H. Stanek
Delgado & Stanek, PA
10632 Little Patuxent Pkwy., #2
Columbia
410-730-0755
Bradley Trattner*
Executive Centre at Hooks Lane
8 Reservoir Circle, #102
Pikesville
410-653-2020
North of Baltimore
Howard Cohen
21 West Rd., Ste. 101
Towson
410-321-1266
John M. Hyson III
Endodontic Partners
1206 York Rd.
Lutherville
410-821-5553
And other locations
H. Kathy Lee
Maryland Endodontic Group
22 W. Padonia Rd., Ste. C-244
Timonium
410-252-3900
And other locations
Jeffrey A. Lieberman
Maryland Endodontic Group
22 W. Padonia Rd., Ste. C-244
Timonium
410-252-3900
And other locations
Judy Melamed
1206 York Rd.
Lutherville
410-821-5553
And other locations
Brenda K. Richardson
515 E. Joppa Rd., Ste. 106
Towson
410-321-5700
And other locations
Eric R. Volk
1447 York Rd., Ste. 607
Lutherville
410-828-7668
East of Baltimore
Charles Mann
Endodontics, PA
7939 Honeygo Blvd., Ste. 227
Nottingham
410-931-0250
And other locations -
Oral Pathologist
Baltimore
Gary Ray Warnock
The Johns Hopkins Hospital
600 N. Wolfe St.
Sheikh Zayed Tower
410-955-3484
Robert A. Ord
University of Maryland Oral-Maxillofacial Surgery Associates, PA
650 W. Baltimore St., Ste. 1401
410-706-6195
West of Baltimore
John M. Bowman
Dobbin Dental Suite
6395 Dobbin Rd., Ste. 210
Columbia
410-997-9366
North of Baltimore
James Sciubba*
6569 N. Charles St.
Physicians Pavilion West, Ste. 402
Towson
443-849-2087
And other locations
Orthodontist
Baltimore ama
Stanley Markovitz
Harbor Orthodontics
2 E. Lee St.
410-659-0770
And other locations
East of Baltimore
Amanda Gallagher Whetzel
2815 Belair Rd., Ste. 203
Fallston
410-877-7716
And other locations
West of Baltimore
David Bonebreak
Vanguard Orthodontics
8640 Guilford Rd., Ste. 233
Columbia
443-535-6881
And other locations
James Gordon
3635 Old Court Rd., #505
Pikesville
410-486-0550
And other locations
Jeffrey Jarvis
Scott, Pitrone, Sorkin, and Jarvis Orthodontics
770 Old Liberty Rd.
Eldersburg
410-795-5690
And other locations
Margaret Pitrone
518 E. Baltimore St.
Taneytown
410-848-4300
And other locations
Connie Rubler
5570 Sterrett Pl., Ste. 301
Columbia
410-997-0707
Tarun Saini
10776 Hickory Ridge Rd.
Columbia
410-730-1255
And other locations
Stuart Sheer
602 Center St., #203
Mount Airy
301-829-6588
Edward Silverman
100 Owings Ct., Ste. 16
Owings Mills
410-526-4040
Lawrence Wang*
Baltimore Orthodontic Group
10045 Baltimore National Pike, Ste. A-1
Ellicott City
410-418-8370
And other locations
North of Baltimore
Thomas Barron
9475 Deereco Rd., Ste. 204
Timonium
410-628-0677
And other locations
Nicole C. Brummer
8320 Bellona Ave., Ste. 10B
Towson
410-415-3346
Robert D. Isaacs
2326 York Rd., Ste. 110
Timonium
410-252-3880
And other locations
Jonathan Lang
1407 York Rd., Ste. 204
Lutherville-Timonium
410-821-6458
And other locations
Thomas McInnes
McInnes Palmer Orthodontics
8322 Bellona Ave., #310
Towson
443-377-3061
And other locations
Scott Nawy
2326 York Rd., Ste. 110
Timonium
410-252-3880
Meghan Palmer
McInnes Palmer Orthodontics
8322 Bellona Ave., #310
Towson
443-377-3061
And other locations
Elizabeth Spannhake
7801 York Rd., Ste. 315
Towson
410-321-5004
And other locations
Moshe Stern
2326 York Rd., Ste. 110
Timonium
410-252-3880
And other locations
South of Baltimore Michael Noorani
804 Landmark Dr., Ste. 126
Glen Burnie
410-761-9180
And other locations
Steven M. Siegel
Crain Professional Center
7935 Crain Hwy. S.
Glen Burnie
410-761-6960
Pediatric Dentist
Baltimore Douglas Clemens
Cross Keys Dental Associates
2 Hamil Rd., Ste. 266
South Quadrangle Building
410-435-8400
Neel Satpute
Greenspring Pediatric Dentistry
2700 Quarry Lake Dr., Ste. 190
410-484-4401
South of Baltimore
Mahtab Khoshkhou
Arundel Pediatric Dental Care
8531 Veterans Hwy., Ste. 103
Millersville
410-987-2273
C.J. Tull III
1507 Ritchie Hwy., Ste. 201
Arnold
410-757-5437
East of Baltimore Diana Capobianco
2012 S. Tollgate Rd., #212
Bel Air
410-569-6700
Sandra Shih
White Marsh Pediatric Dentistry
5430 Campbell Blvd., Ste. 209
White Marsh
443-725-4185
Luz M. Tennassee
Chesapeake Pediatric Dental Group
5009 Honeygo Center Dr., Ste. 228
Perry Hall
410-248-3384
And other locations
West of Baltimore
Margaret E. Barry
Crossroads Pediatric Dentistry
25 Crossroads Dr., Ste. 149
Owings Mills
410-356-9191
Edward L. Ginsberg*
Smiles4Children
1134 N, Rolling Rd.
Catonsville
410-788-4555
And other locations
Edwin Zaghi
10798 Hickory Ridge Rd.
Columbia
410-992-4400
North of Baltimore
Cristina Alarcon
Kids First Pediatric Dentistry
2326 York Rd., Ste. 200
Timonium
410-828-5699
Tracy Bowden
Kids First Pediatric Dentistry
2326 York Rd., Ste. 200
Timonium
410-828-5699
Melena Evancho
Dentistry for Kids
100 Sparks Valley Rd., Ste. C
Hunt Valley
410-771-8200
Margery Hernandez
7401 Osler Dr., #109
Towson
410-825-2878
Shari C. Kohn
Dentistry for Kids
100 Sparks Valley Rd., Ste. C
Hunt Valley
410-771-8200
Susanne Wallengren
2324 W. Joppa Rd., Ste. 430
Lutherville
410-321-0200
Periodontist
Baltimore
Howard B. Fisher
1 Village Square, #130
410-532-2200
And other locations
Barbara Lesco
Harbor Periodontics
2 E. Lee St.
443-992-7868
East of Baltimore
Leo V. Trail Jr.
Bright Oaks Courtyard
2021-B Emmorton Rd., Ste. 118
Bel Air
410-569-8567
West of Baltimore
Peter Joseph*
Innovative Implants and Periodontics
66 Painters Mill Rd., Ste. 100
Owings Mills
410-363-3780
And other locations
Mark Keiser
Innovative Implants and Periodontics
66 Painters Mill Rd., Ste. 100
Owings Mills
410-363-3780
And other locations
Justin W. Kleinman
Carroll Periodontics & Implant Dentistry
407 Malcolm Dr.
Westminster
410-857-5700
And other locations
Bruce Mandel
Innovative Implants and Periodontics
66 Painters Mill Rd., Ste. 100
Owings Mills
410-363-3780
And other locations
Ari Moskowitz
6400 Baltimore National Pike, Ste. 200 B
Catonsville
410-774-5441
Lawrence Page
5044 Dorsey Hall Dr., Ste. 104
Ellicott City
410-997-7975
Tom Stanton
2029 Suffolk Rd., Ste. B
Finksburg
410-861-3001
North of Baltimore
J. Fred Felton
Ruxton Professional Building
8322 Bellona Ave., Ste. 310
Towson
410-821-8008
And other locations
Bryan Fitzgerald
660 Kenilworth Dr., Ste. 103
Towson
410-821-8800
James Kassolis
Towson Center for Dental Implants and Periodontics
521 E. Joppa Rd., Ste. 200
Towson
410-321-9477
Kevin G. Murphy
6080 Falls Rd., Ste. 202
Brooklandville
410-372-0202
Kathryn Mutzig
Towson Center for Dental Implants and Periodontics
521 E. Joppa Rd.,
Ste. 200
Towson
410-321-9477
Arash Mike Rostami
Greater Baltimore Prosthodontics, PA
110 West Rd., #200
Towson
410-296-0136
Melody Ward
1104 Kenilworth Dr., Ste. 102
Towson
410-583-7010
And other locations
Karl J. Zeren
9515 Deereco Rd., Ste. 308
Timonium
410-252-0871
South of Baltimore
Richard R. Gartner
Chesapeake Periodontics
900 Ritchie Hwy., #103
Severna Park
410-647-0200
David A. Mugford
1660 Village Green
Crofton
410-774-5206
ProsthodontistBaltimore Kevin G. Murphy
6080 Falls Rd., Ste. 202
410-372-0202
John Tran
Horizon Family
Dental Care
1712 Whetstone Way
410-332-9998
And other locations
West of Baltimore
Richard J. Kuntz
10706 Reisterstown Rd., Ste. 5
Owings Mills
410-356-9640
And other locations
Martin R. Schwartzberg*
106 Old Court Rd.,
Ste. 201
Pikesville
410-486-1133
South of Baltimore
John Davliakos
Annapolis Prosthodontic Associates
200 Westgate Circle, Ste. 106
Annapolis
410-268-7100
And other locations
North of Baltimore
Keith A. Boenning
1104 Kenilworth Dr., Ste. 104
Towson
410-630-4476
Michael P. Linnan
Greater Baltimore Prosthodontics, PA
110 West Rd., #200
Towson
410-296-0136
Gus J. Livaditis
1206 York Rd., Ste. 100
Lutherville
410 337-8950
And other locations
Patrick L. Ousborne
21 West Rd., Ste. 104
Towson
410-828-1177
Arash Mike Rostami
Greater Baltimore Prosthodontics, PA
110 West Rd., #200
Towson
410-296-0136
Ghassan Sinada
6569 N. Charles St., Ste. 601
Towson
443-519-5293
And other locations
* most peer recommendations in his/her specialty
** tie for most peer recommendations in the specialty
*** most peer recommendations in all specialties
The Mouth That Roared
Thanks to a generous dentist, one man discovers the importance of a healthy smile.
By Ken Iglehart
Minch and Wallace Today and, Below, before procedure.
Coming from a country where paying out of pocket to have perfect teeth is considered an odd form of vanity, Scottish-born comedian and former host of The Late Late Show Craig Ferguson has this skit about the first time he came to the States and marveled at the Yanks’ flawless chompers and gleaming smiles.
“When I first came here in 1976, I was 13 years old, and the teeth were shocking,” Ferguson quips. “It took me a couple of weeks to actually realize that they weren’t all dentures.”
In America, though, people are judged by the appearance of their teeth. Open your mouth for even a split second and instant subconscious appraisals are made—about your education, your career success, even your trustworthiness.
But for professional photographer Donnell Wallace, it was no joke.
The 37-year-old Reisterstown father of three knows his problems started at birth—as a small boy, he was diagnosed with unusually weak tooth enamel. “My mother didn’t understand the seriousness of the problem, and nothing was done about it,” says Wallace. “But as I got older, my teeth started to break, even from just eating normally.” Finally, it got so bad he got a removable gold grille to hide the deterioration. “I wouldn’t leave the house or go out in public without having that grille in my mouth,” he says.
He knew, though, that his appearance was defining his relationships with others.
“I’d walk in a room and people would look at me like I was a thug or a drug dealer, like I wasn’t even supposed to be there,” says Wallace. “And when I tried to conduct business, I wasn’t getting that ‘business-like look’ from people.” That meant there were a lot of photography jobs he wasn’t being chosen for.
A friend convinced him he needed to do something about it, so he started talking to dentists. But their solutions were unaffordable: “They wanted to do a credit check and offered me payment plans, but I couldn’t afford an additional monthly payment,” he recalls. “And the amount they wanted was tens of thousands of dollars—pretty much all of it upfront before they’d begin any work.”
Then Lady Luck smiled on Wallace: That same friend, who ran a DJ company, was working the wedding of a dentist, and when told of Wallace’s problem, the dentist said he’d consider taking the case at no charge, with the exception of lab costs. And that dentist, Dr. Robert Minch, coincidentally practiced in Lutherville, not far from Wallace’s home. It got better yet, because the guy was really good: Minch was a dental-college instructor, had been practicing cosmetic and restorative dentistry for more than 30 years, and was among the best in the area, having been repeatedly chosen by other Baltimore-area practitioners as a top dentist in Baltimore’s annual peer survey.
“I agreed to meet with Donnell and do an exam to see the scope of the work,” says Minch, 58, who has a history of charitable work, including volunteering at free clinics and working on victims of domestic abuse. “I could tell immediately that this was a young man with big personality and horrible teeth. His upper front teeth were decayed and broken down, in part due to a removable gold grille that covered the teeth. He would need multiple root canals and several extractions, followed by crown and bridge work on all the upper teeth.”
Ten appointments later—one marathon sitting took six hours—Wallace had a virtually new mouth full of snow-white pearlies. He also has a changed life, though he admits there was a period of identity adjustment.
“It was strange at first, because I was popular with people who really knew me—and they thought of me as the black photographer with the gold teeth. But, suddenly, people who’d known me for years didn’t recognize me. They’d walk right past me. I’d have to say, ‘Hey, it’s me.’”
“But now people are letting me into their lives who never would have before. People are asking me into their homes, inviting me for meals, and introducing me to others. Everybody just looks at me differently. And when I speak, they listen. They didn’t listen before.”
So, we have to know, what would it have cost if Minch had charged the normal rate for all that work? Somewhere in the neighborhood of $30,000. That’s one more thing for Wallace to smile about.
Dentistry in the DNA
Did you happen to notice that Lutherville endodontist named John M. Hyson? He’s been on this list a lot over the years, and there’s a story behind the “III” after his name.
This month, the University of Maryland School of Dentistry will claim its fourth graduate from the same family, when Hyson’s son, 29-year-old John M. Hyson IV, graduates with his DDS. The run of Hysons at the dental school started in 1927, with the graduation of John M. Hyson, who also later served on the faculty in the anatomy department.
Not to be outdone, his son, John M. Hyson Jr., who got his DDS in 1950, wrote a book about the history of the dental school—Baltimore’s Own: The World’s First Dental School. And his son, of course, is the DDS on our list again this year, the father of his family’s latest dentistry generation. (To avoid the predictable confusion, father Hyson’s nickname in the family is “Johnny” and Hyson IV is “Jack.”)
“Having four direct generations graduate has never been done in the 175 years at the University of Maryland dental school,” says 64-year-old Hyson III. “It’s kind of like Ripken’s streak—it’s pretty hard to duplicate.”
So with a family tradition that’s so long in the tooth, would Mom and Dad have freaked out if Jack had decided to, say, join the circus instead? Johnny says no.
“I actually wasn’t the one that pushed him into dentistry,” says Hyson III. “I really credit my father with that. He was one of the founders of the University of Maryland dental museum and took Jack there when he was as young as 5. My father actually let him hold George Washington’s teeth—not too many people can claim that.”